Lost In Translation - 'Net Briefs (May 2012)

If current trends continue, the world will be adding approximately
1 billion new Internet users every four years, and the vast majority
will be from non-English speaking countries. In fact, according
to a recent study by Smartling, 90 percent of all Web
users currently live in traditionally non-English speaking areas,
while just 13 percent of the total ’Net population lives in North
America. In 2000, by contrast, English was the most widely
used language by a 26-percent margin, but by 2011 that margin
had slipped to just 3 percent. Still, 56 percent of all online content
is English-only, but smart businesses had better start preparing
to adapt to a new Web dynamic in the coming years.